Why a single emoji or smart quote can switch an SMS to Unicode, cut each segment from 160 to 70 characters and raise your Salesforce messaging bill.
Your company requires sending thousands of promotional messages to customers. You might have tried to keep your message clear and concise and now everything looks all set. Yet when the messaging bill arrives, the cost might blow your mind. So, what went wrong?
It might be that one extra character – an apostrophe or an emoji that can change the way an SMS is translated. Rather than using the commonly used GSM-7 character set, the message can switch to Unicode encoding. This change can minimize the existing characters per SMS segment say from 160 to 70.
For organizations leveraging Salesforce to send thousands of notifications, booking reminders, discount offers, and service updates, this isn’t just a technical detail. It is a cost issue that can impact campaign budgets, client communication, and operational efficiency.
It’s therefore crucial to understand GSM-7 versus Unicode in order to manage Salesforce SMS campaigns. Let's understand why a single character like an emoji in SMS can make such a huge cost difference.
GSM-7 vs Unicode: The Hidden Difference Behind SMS Costs
The SMS character limit relies on its encoding method. While a regular SMS carries 140 bytes of data, the characters it can adjust may differ. While GSM-7 supports Latin script, common punctuation, and numbers, Unicode holds emojis, scripts that are non-Latin, and some special characters. Moreover, while GSM-7 allows up to 160 characters, the SMS unicode character limit falls to 70 characters per segment. This increases SMS costs.
| SMS Parameter | GSM-7 | Unicode (UCS-2) |
|---|---|---|
| Single SMS Limit | 160 characters | 70 characters |
| Multipart SMS Limit | 153 characters | 67 characters |
| Encoding | 7 bit | 16 bit |
| Supports Multiple Scripts | Limited | yes |
| Supports Emojis | no | yes |
| Potential Cost of Messaging | Lower | Higher |
When an SMS goes beyond the single-message limit, the network inserts a header to every segment - allowing the device of the recipient to rebuild the text. This decreases the capacity to 153 characters for GSM-7 and 67 for Unicode in every segment. Consequently, Unicode messages may need more segments, raising overall SMS costs. This is what makes the deviation between 70 vs 160 characters SMS crucial.
Why Salesforce SMS Templates Require Special Attention
With Salesforce, businesses find it easy to manage customer communications via automated SMS workflows. However, it’s crucial to pay more attention to Salesforce SMS templates characters rather than simply keeping the message concise.
A Salesforce SMS template may include the following:
- Static message text.
- Fields such as names of customers.
- Appointment details.
- URLs and tracking links.
- Punctuation and special characters.
Each of these elements can impact the final length of the message.
Consider a template:
Hey [First Name], your order is ready. Trace it here: [Link]
The template appears to be short, yet actual message length depends on the values included in the merge fields.
If the customer’s name is long, dynamic order reference or tracking URL can pull the message past its segment limit. When a Unicode character is inserted in the static text, the issue becomes more complex.
6 Ways to Optimize Salesforce SMS Templates
- Keep templates within the GSM-7 character limit where possible.
- Avoid pointless emojis and ornamental symbols.
- Verify apostrophes and quotation marks before printing templates.
- Account for the maximum presumed length of merged fields.
- Test messages with right customer data instead of depending on template previews.
- Assess segment counts prior to initiating automated messaging journeys.
Do not forget that Salesforce messaging and product integrations can have separate character limits and constraints. Always verify the appropriate limits for your Salesforce messaging channel and service provider.
Why Should Businesses Use an SMS Segment Calculator?
A simple way to avoid unwanted SMS costs is to authenticate segment count and message encoding before launching a campaign. An SMS segment calculator can tell whether a message uses Unicode or GSM-7 encoding and assess the number of segments required for delivery.
4 Ways to Reduce Salesforce SMS Messaging Costs
Avoiding Unicode completely isn’t always feasible. Businesses interacting with international customers or using various languages may truly need Unicode support.
However, redundant and needless encoding can be prevented via a few simple practices.
- Create a GSM-friendly checklist: Ask content teams to avoid unnecessary special characters and use standard punctuation. Make this an obligatory step before approving SMS templates.
- Make Minimal Use of Emojis: Make use of emojis only when they augment the message. Emojis may be useful for promotional texts while emojis can be avoided when it comes to transactional updates, appointment reminders, etc.
- Check Copied Content: Make sure to evaluate text copied from emails, websites and other documents to check for unsupported special characters, and smart quotes that may activate Unicode encoding.
- Test Dynamic Fields: When personalized, the Salesforce merge fields can increase message length. Test templates using maximum-length values to figure out likely segment increases before sending campaigns.
Final Words: Do Emojis Cost More in SMS?
While a curly apostrophe or a single emoji might seem harmless, it can affect SMS encoding, message delivery, and total cost. So, the obvious question to ‘do emojis cost more in SMS’ is ‘yes’. Businesses must therefore understand the logic behind GSM-7, Unicode encoding and SMS segment calculation to prevent unnecessary expenditures. The goal isn’t to limit creativity but to make thoughtful usage of special characters to avoid unnecessary costs.
At times, a single character can make the difference between a reasonably priced SMS and a surprisingly expensive one.
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